We all made it! The VBS at Metro Alliance has wrapped up for 2011. All we have left is a 97 degree day at Cedar Point (don't worry parents, we are taking precautions for the heat) and a 90-some degree day helping the Bridge Ave School and our good friends Dan and Amy McElwain move to their new building.
So, about the last day of VBS... We had a smaller turnout this year. There happened to be a soccer camp and another VBS going on this week at two other places, so I guess it isn't surprising that we've had a smaller turnout at ours. But...God isn't only concerned with numbers. We still have stories of our students and the kids in Cleveland connecting in awesome ways. For instance, one of our young ladies was talking to a little girl who asked her "what do I do if a guy calls me ugly?" and our student told her "never let a guy call you ugly, you are beautiful and made in God's image". People in the inner city don't hear things like that very often - especially young ladies.
Something I have learned here is that ministry to inner city people is not nearly the same as ministry to people in a community like Rochester, or to people in suburbs. We are very fortunate to have the inner-city kids at VBS that we have had. In the city, relationships are so much more critical, and so is pushing through barriers. In another story from one of our students, a girl came the first day of VBS and was very angry and mean with something she said to one of our students (who hadn't done anything wrong by the way). She came back to him yesterday and said she was "sorry for her attitude" on the first day of the camp. What a change!
I know we value relationships at Christ Community, and in Rochester, MN, but being in Cleveland and seeing what a HUGE role relationships play in inner-city ministry it puts a new perspective on it for me. Seeing a church full of stories like the ones I've told you about helps me to see how important it is to not take offense at something someone else says and continue to show them love no matter what.
Blessings to you. And thank you for your continued prayers!
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